Refuse packing system

ABSTRACT

A refuse-packing system including a stationary packer with a ram reciprocable toward and away from a side outlet opening to pack refuse into an enclosed container having a loading opening aligned with the opening. The packer has a vertically reciprocating, fluid-actuated door-operating mechanism engaged with a guillotine-type door on the container as an incident to the positioning of the container, and latched to the door as an incident to the initial raising of the door, and also has a guide and an automatic latch for aligning and holding the container relative to the packer. For closing of the door, the ram is positioned at the loading opening and the door slides along the face of the ram to the closed position.

United States Patent 5 1 1 3,610,139

[72] Inventor Samuel Vincen Bowles 3,511,176 5/1970 Szaj et a1 100/229 12039 Branford St., Sun Valley, Calif. 3,513,771 5/ 1970 Felts 100/218 91352 Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite 323 1969 AttorneyFu1wider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht [45'] Patented Oct.5,1971

ABSTRACT: A refuse-packing system including a stationary packer with a ram reciprocable toward and away from a side outlet opening to pack refuse into an enclosed container hav- [54] REFUSE PACKING SYSTEM 23 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. in a loadin o enin aligned the opening The packer 100/98, loo/295380510 has a vertically reciprocating, fluid-actuated door-operating [5 me hanism engaged a guillotine-type door on the con- Field Of Search miner a an i ident to the ositioning of the container and 100/229, 98, 15, 190, 218, 249, 295; 214/ latched to the door as an incident to the initial raising of the door, and also has a guide and an automatic latch for aligning [56] References cued and holding the container relative to the packer. For closing of UNITED STATES PATENTS the door, the ram is positioned at the loading opening and the 1,627,885 5/1927 Chase 280/510 door slides along the face of the ram to the closed position.

PATENTED [JET 5:971

SHEET 3 BF 3 2, W mm? REFUSE PACKING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to refuse handling and transporting systems and, more particularly, to animproved refuse packer and container for receiving the refuse preparatory to hauling of the refuse to a remote disposal site.

The problems of collection and disposal of refuse have become more and more serious with the constant increase in population and the concentration of people and industry in and around large metropolitan areas. It has become common practice to accumulate waste material in industrial plants and commercial establishments, including warehouses and apartment complexes, until a sufficiently large volume is ready to be hauled away to justify a trip by a disposal vehicle.

In some instances, accumulating refuse is simply dumped into a collection container such as a hauling bed, which later is carried by a truck to the ultimate disposal site. Another approach'is to compact the refuse into bales which then are stored until the disposal vehicle arrives for loading with the accumulated bales. A relatively recent development has been the compaction of refuse, by a stationary packer, directly into an enclosed portable container in the form of a detachable truck body that is left at the collection site until loaded, and then is hauled on a truck to the disposal site to be emptied for reuse.

Problem areas with respect to the detachable, truck-bodytype of container have been in the securing of the container to the stationary packer for loading, the control of the feeding of refuse into the container, and the eventual sealing of the loading opening to prevent loss of refuse at the collection site and in transit to the disposal site. With conventional equipment, the maneuvering of the container into the loading position, attachment to and detachment from the packer, and opening and closing of the loading door have been cumbersome and time-consuming operations. In fact, the problems of closing of loading doors have limited the extent to which containers can be filled, and have resulted in intentional underfilling with resultant reduction in capacity.

SUMMARY on THE INVENTION The present invention simplifies and expedites the handling of portable containers of the foregoing general character while preventing loss of refuse, and the resulting littering, at the collection site. More specifically, the invention resides in an improved loading door and door-operating mechanism for opening and closing the loading opening of the refuse container, the door being of the guillotine type guided for vertical motion on the container, and the opening and closing mechanism being mounted on the packer in position to receive the door, in coupled relation therewith, as an incident to the movement of the container into the loading position so that activation of the mechanism is all that is required to open the door preparatory to loading.

Moreover, a novel latch is provided to hold the door securely on the operating mechanism, permitting the door to be pulled substantially free of the container, and the door and packer coact during automatic closing to insure against any substantial loss of refuse from the filled container. In addition, the packer has a guide for aligning the container properly with the packer in a quick and simple manner as the container is rolled up to the packer, and also latches the container automatically in place when it reaches the proper loading position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a packer and a container embodying the novel features of the present invention, a portion of the container being broken away.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the container guides and latch, taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. I.

FIG. 6 is an end view .of the packer showing the lowered position of thedoor-operating mechanism in full lines and the raised position in broken lines.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary .cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line -'l7 of-FlG..6 and illustrating different positions of the door-operating mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view ofpart of the dooroperating mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE lLL-US'IIRATlVE EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in'a refuse-packing system comprising generally a packer l0 stationarily mounted at a collection site, such as an industrial plant, to receive relatively small batches of refuse from time to time, and a container 11 stationed beside the packer with a loading opening I; aligned with an outlet opening 13 of the packer to receive vbatches of refuse from the packer until the container is fully loaded with packed refuse and can be hauled to a remote disposal site and dumped. The container is of the rolloff type that is adapted to be transported on a flat-bed truck (not shown) having a hoist for controlling the unloading of the container at the collection site and eventually pulling the container back onto the truck preparatory to hauling of the refuse to the disposal flatbed The illustrative packer 10 comprises a horizontally elongated, hollow housing supported at its four lower corners on legs 14 engaging the ground or other supporting surface l5, and having a flat upper wall 17 formed adjacent one end with an inlet opening 18 through which batches of refuse are dumped, usually from small carts I9 .(FIG. 5) for carrying refuse to the packer from different points in the plant. Often, a funnellike hopper (not shown) is mounted on the packer to guide refuse from the cart into the inlet opening.

To pack refuse into the container [La ram 20 is mounted in the housing for back and forth movement between a retracted position generally beneath the left side of the inlet opening (see FIG. 1) and an extended position adjacent the right end of the housing, this end being open to define the outlet opening 13 of the packer. Preferrably, the extended position of the ram is beyond the outlet opening and within the container, as indicated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, to insure that the refuse is pushed well into the container before the ram is retracted.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 6, the ram 20 herein comprises a generally rectangular plate disposed in an inclined, upright position and mounted in front of a boxlike frame 21 that is supported on rollers 22 along the bottom of the frame and side rollers 23 along the upper portions of the sides of the frame, both sets of rollers riding on tracks along the inner walls of the packer housing in order to support and guide the ram for free back-and-forth motion. Ears 24 (FIG. 6) at the upper corners of the ram ride in grooves 25 in the housing.

A fluid-operated cylinder 27 behind the ram is anchored at its left end (FIG. 1) at 28 on the left end 29 of the housing and is connected at its right end at 30 to the rear side of the ram to extend and retract the ram alternately in response to the ad mission of pressure fluid to opposite ends of the cylinder. In its retracted position, the upper edge of the ram preferably is aligned with anangle iron 31 forming the left edge of the inlet opening 18, so that the ram cooperates with the right end portion of the packer housing in defining a packing chamber at 32 beneath the inlet opening.

The container 11 is of basically conventional construction, comprising an elongated box of rectangular cross section having horizontal top and bottom walls 33 and 34, vertical sidewalls 35, and end walls 37 and 38, with external reinforcing ribs 39 spaced at regular intervals along the sidewalls and across the top wall, the lower ends of the ribs being joined to longitudinal rails 40 (FIG. 1) along the sides of the bottom wall. A horizontal rib 41 (FIG. 4) extends across the rear end wall 37 above the loading opening 12, and vertical ribs 42 and 43 reinforce this wall above the cross rib and below the cross rib along the sides of the loading opening. Rails 44 form a frame for the rear wall.

Preferably, the container 11 is tapered toward the front end wall 38 for ease of dumping, and is provided with rollers 45 beneath the four lower corners for supporting the container both on the ground at the collection site and on the bed of the truck during transporting of the container to and from the disposal site. These rollers facilitate the movement of the container on and off the truck.

It will be seen in FIG. 4 that the entire rear end wall 37 is hinged on the container at 47 along the right side to form an unloading door, with latches 48 along the left side, and that the loading opening 12 is centered in the lower portion of this door, extending from the lower edge to a height slightly higher than the top of the outlet opening of the packer, as shown in FIG. 5. The width of the loading opening is at least equal to, and preferably somewhat greater than, the width of the outlet opening 13. A loading door 49 is mounted on the rear end wall to close the loading opening after the container is loaded, an thus prevents loss of packed refuse during transporting of the container to the disposal site.

In accordance with a primary aspect of the present invention, the loading door 49 is of the guillotine type and is guided on a rear end wall 37 of the container 11 for movement along the plane of the door between open and closed positions, herein being raised to the open position, and a door-operating mechanism 50 is incorporated in the packer 10 to receive a coupling element 51 on the door as the container is moved into the loading position, and then to raise the door away from the loading opening 13 in a quick and simple manner. This eliminates problems that have existed in prior packers in the manipulation of loading doors during the positioning of containers for loading. The packer also includes a guide 52 for aligning the openings 12 and 13 in the packer and the container, while also aligning the coupling elements of the door and the operating mechanism, and an automatic latch 53 for the container, thereby reducing the positioning procedure to an extremely simple operation.

Moreover, the loading door 49 is closed mechanically when the container 11 is fully loaded, and cooperates with the inclined front face of the ram in preventing any significant loss of refuse that could litter the collection site, even though the container is packed to the fullest possible extent, and the operating mechanism 50 automatically releases the door preparatory to movement of the container 11 away from the packer l0 and onto the hauling vehicle. The result is a refusepacking system in which handling of the container, and the opening and closing of the loading door, are reduced to extremely simple operations.

In this instance, the loading door 49 is a rectangular blade comprising spaced, parallel plates forming the body of the door, the inner plate having a lower edge portion 54 that is inclined downwardly and outwardly to the lower edge of the outer plate, substantially to a knife edge. Extending along the top of the door is a rod 55 that is suitably secured to the plates and has ends 57 projecting laterally beyond the side edges of the blade into upwardly opening notches or seats 58 adjacent the upper corners of the loading opening, when the door is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 4.

Along each of the vertical sides of the loading opening 12 is a guide flange 59 that is mounted on the rear end wall 37 of the container 11 and overhangs the adjacent edge portion of the door 49 on the outer side of the latter. These flanges are spaced outwardly from the plane of the end wall at their upper ends, a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the door, and are inclined inwardly to the plane of the end wall at their lower ends, thereby to incline the door inwardly as it slides downwardly along the flanges and across the loading opening to the closed position. This incline matches the incline of the face of the ram.

For coupling the door 49 to the operating mechanism 50, at least one coupling element 51 is mounted on the outer side of the door adjacent the upper edge thereof. Herein, two such elements are provided by mounting two horizontal bars in laterally spaced, coaxial relation between the rear ends of two pairs of brackets 60 that are inclined upwardly and outwardly from top bar 55 adjacent the opposite side edges of the door, thus offsetting the coupling bars upwardly and outwardly from the door. The brackets may be welded to the bar 55 and to the outer door plate at their lower ends and to the coupling bars at their upper ends, and should be equally spaced from the respective side edges for proper balancing of the door when it is held in the raised portion.

With particular reference to FIGS. 6-8, it will be seen that the operating mechanism 50 comprises a reciprocating actuator formed by a pair of fluid-operated cylinders 61 mounted in upright positions on the end of the packer 10, along the opposite sides of the outlet opening 13, with piston rods 62 extending out of the upper ends of the cylinders and connected by a double-bar crossrail 63 constituting the main frame member of a coupler of the operating mechanism. The lower ends of the cylinders are supported by laterally projecting brackets 64 on the sides of the packer adjacent the outlet end thereof, and the crossrail 63 is guided for up-and-down movement by two vertical posts 65 upstanding from a horizontal platform 67 spanning two beams 68 extending longitudinally along the sides of the packer.

Herein, two guides 69 of channel-shaped horizontal cross section (see FIG. 8) are fast at their upper ends between the two bars of the crossrail 63 and are fitted around the posts 65 to slide thereon as the rail is raised and lowered, and a second rail 70 extends between and braces the lower end portions of the guides to complete the vertically reciprocating coupler frame if the door operator, the second rail being a hollow rectangular tube welded at its ends to the guides.

A coupling element 7] is provided on the door-operating mechanism 50 to receive each of the coupling bars 5] as the container 11 is moved into the loading position with the loading door 12 closed and the coupler frame in the lowered position. As shown most clearly in FIGS. 7 and 8, these elements are in the form of C-shaped plates supported between the rails '63 and 70 of the coupler frame and defining notches 72 that open toward the container in alignment with the coupling bars 51 on the loading door 49.

Thus, the lower portion 71a of each coupling plate 71 moves under the associated coupling bar 5], as shown full in FIG. 7, and the upper edge of this lower portion constitutes a shoulder for lifting the coupling bar, and thus the loading door, as the coupler frame is raised by the cylinders 61. The free end portion 71b of each shoulder is hooked upwardly to form a retaining abutment for resisting displacement of the coupling bar out of the notch. At the same time, the upper portion 71c of each coupling plate 71 moves into a position overhanging the associated coupling bar, to form a rugged, downwardly facing shoulder for engaging the bar and forcing the loading door back down into the closed position after the container has been loaded. This shoulder also has a hooked retaining abutment at 71d for resisting displacement of the coupling bar out of the notch.

In addition, positive locking of the coupling bars 51 in the notches 72 of the coupling plates 71 is effected as an incident to the initial upward motion of the coupler frame. This is accomplished by means of latches (see FIGS. 7 and 8) that are mounted on the frame and include latch bars 73 that are movable downwardly across the open sides of the notches 72 after the coupling bars are in place, thereby to prevent accidental displacement of the coupling bars while the door 49 is above the closed position. Herein, each latch bar 73 is guided for vertical sliding in a sleeve 74 welded to the crossrail 63, beside the associated coupling plate 71, and is joined at its upper end to a horizontal connector 75 that extends over the crossrail to a parallel actuating bar 77 disposed on the opposite side of the crossrail. This bar is slidable in two vertically aligned sleeves 78 and 79 welded to the two crossrails, and is sufficiently longer than the latch bar 73 to abut against the platform 67 when the frame is lowered and the lower end of the latch bar is generally level with the upper shoulder of the coupling plate 7]. A spring 80 is stretched between the lower crossrail 70 and the connector 75, through the upper crossrail 63, to hold the actuating bar 77 against the platform.

With this arrangement, the coupling notches 72 are open to receive the coupling bars 51 when the coupler frame is lowered, and the latch bars 73 are pulled down, relative to the frame, as the latter is raised by the cylinders 61, so that a latch bar drops between each coupling bar and the loading door 49 to lock the coupling bars in the notches automatically as an incident to the raising of the frame. The actuating bars 77 remain stationary in abutting engagement with the platform 67 until the upper crossrail 63 engages the connectors 75, and then are raised with the frame to the fully raised position shown in broken lines in FIG. 6, the latch bars remaining in their locking position across the mouths of the coupling notches. When the frame eventually is lowered to close the lowering door 49, the latch bars remain in the locking position until the actuating bars 77 engage the platform 67, shortly before the frame reaches its lowered position. Such engagement stops movement of the latches relative to the packer l0, and thus causes the latch bars 73 to rise, relative to the frame, back to the positions shown in FIG. 8 and in full in FIG. 7. Thus, it will be seen that the latches are automatically responsive to movement of the operator frame to open and close the coupling notches 72, and that no manipulation of the parts is required for the coupling and uncoupling operations. Accordingly, door opening and door closing are reduced to pushbutton operations after the container 11 has been aligned with the packer and moved to the loading position.

As previously mentioned, the packer also includes a guide 52 for aligning quickly and easily with the packer (simultaneously aligning the coupling elements 51 and 71), and includes a latch 53 for anchoring the container automatically in place when it becomes aligned with the packer. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide is-a flat, toelike rail structure projecting away from the outlet end of the packer, along the supporting surface 15, to extend under the adjacent end portion of the container between two elongated, channel-shaped guide rails 76 fast on the underside of the container. The free end portion of the rail structure is beveled at 81 to a width substantially less than the lateral spacing of the guide rails 70, the width of the main part of the structure being only slightly less than the spacing of the guide rails. Accordingly, the container need only be positioned generally in alignment with the packer, so that the beveled end of the rail structure fits between and is straddled by the guide rails, and then can be rolled toward the packer. The beveled end cams the container laterally into proper alignment during such rolling.

The container latch 53 is formed by an elongated bolt 82 pivoted at one end on the guide, which is divided to form a central longitudinal slot at 83 in the free end portion, the bolt being disposed in this slot and pivoted at its left end (FIGS. 1, 2, and 5) on a transverse shaft 84 extending between and anchored on two parallel rails 85 defining the slot. A tube 87 (FIG. 2) is telescoped onto the shaft to turn thereon, and is fastened to the bolt to form the pivot. A leaf spring 88 is mounted beneath the right end portion of the bolt to urge the latter upwardly into a raised position in which an upwardly opening notch 89 in the upper side of the bolt receives a transverse strike or latching bar 90 fast on the underside of the container.

An arm 91 is welded to one side of the free end portion of the bolt 82 and projects to one side therefrom, through an arcuate slot 92 (FIG. 5) in the adjacent rail of the guide. This arm abuts against the upper end of the arcuate slot to limit upward movement of the bolt, and also is connected by a linkage 93 (FIG. 2) to a shaft 94 journaled on the guide 52 and connected to a hand lever 95 accessible from beside the packer 10. When this hand lever is rocked in one direction, clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1, the bolt 82 is lowered against the action of the leaf spring 88 to unlatch the container 11 preparatory to loading of the container on the transporting vehicle.

It will be seen that the bolt 82 normally is held in the raised, latching position with the free end thereof projecting beyond, and somewhat above, the guide 52, and also that the free end is beveled downwardly at 97 to form a cam surface engageable with the transverse latch bar of the container being moved into the loading position. Thus, the latch bar coacts with the bevel 97 to cam the bolt down until it is retracted to an unlatching position below the level of the latch bar, which then slides along the top of the bolt into alignment with the notch 89. When this occurs, the leaf spring 88 snaps the boltupwardly around the latch bar, in latching relation therewith, and locks the container securely in place. Of course, the loading opening 12 is properly aligned withthe outlet opening 13 of the packer l0 and the coupling bars 51 are in the coupling notches 72 when this takes place.

At this time, all that is necessary to complete the preparation of the container 11 for loading is the pressing of a control button (not shown) to activate the cylinders 61 by delivering pressure fluid from a suitable source to the lower ends of the cylinders, through conduits 98 (FIG. 6). This extends the piston rods 62 upwardly to raise the frame, including the coupling plates 71, thereby raising the loading door 49 togthe open position shown in full in FIG. 5 and in broken lines in FIG. 6. The actuation of the latch bars 73 accompanies the initial raising motion, and thus locks the coupling bars 51 positively in the coupling notches 72 while the door is open.

Then the packing system is ready for operation, and the batches of refuse may be dumped into the packing chamber 32. When the latter is sufficiently full, the ram 20 is actuated through forward and return strokes to push the refuse into the container, moving successive batches farther and farther into the container eventually compacting the refuse tightly therein. When the container has been filled and packed to the extent deemed appropriate for replacement with an empty container, the ram 20 is positioned in an intermediate, closing position in which the front face of the ram is flush with the closing path of the loading door 49, and is stopped in this position preparatory to closing of the door. Then the cylinders 61 are actuated by pressure fluid through conduits 99 (FIGS. 6 and 8) to pull the door back along the face of the ram with a slicing action that insures that little, if any, refuse will be left between the ram and the door. It should be remembered that the door is free to swing inwardly, away from the guide flanges 59 during closing, and thus can slide along the ram without danger of jamming.

After the loading door 49 is closed, the coupling bars 51 are free to be withdrawn horizontally from the coupling plates 71. Thus, the container 11 may be hitched to the hoist mechanism of the transporting vehicle and rolled onto the vehicle bed in the usual manner after the lever has been swung to the unlatching position to lower the bolt 82 away from the latch bar 90 on the container.

Unloading of the container 11 is a simple operation usually involving the opening of the unloading door formed by the hinged rear end wall 37, and tilting of the container on the vehicle bed to a dumping position, to slide the compacted refuse out of the container, this being facilitated by the taper on the walls. Then the container may be returned to a packer for refilling.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the present invention provides a very effective refuse packing system in which both the preparation of the container for loading and the It also will be apparent from the foregoing that, while a particular fonn of the invention has been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and cope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an upper inlet opening and an outlet opening in one side, and having a ram movable across said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side toward said one side to an extended position:

and an enclosed refuse container disposed in a loading position with an upright end of the container disposed adjacent said one side to receive refuse from said packer through said outlet opening as said ram is extended, said container having a loading opening in said one end aligned with said outlet opening, the improvement comprising:

a guillotine-type door nonnally disposed in a lowered position and covering said loading opening;

means on said one end of said container normally holding said door against moving outwardly way from the container, and guiding the door for substantially vertical movement along said upright end from said lowered position to a raised, open position spaced above said loading opening;

operating mechanism mounted on said packer adjacent said outlet opening and including a vertically reciprocating actuator for raising and lowering said door;

at least one coupling abutment on the outer side of said door;

a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said coupling abutment to receive the latter in coupling relation as said container is moved into said loading position, said coupler including a first abutment movable under said coupling abutment for raising said door and a second abutment movable over said coupling abutment for closing said door;

and selectively operable means for activating said actuator to raise and open said door after movement of said container into said loading position and to lower and force said door closed after loading of said container by said ram, said coupling abutment being movable out of coupling relation with said coupler as said container is moved away from said packer.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said door holding and guiding means guide said door along an inclined path between said open and closed positions, said ram having a front face parallel to said path and adapted to be positioned outside, and closely adjacent, the path for a slicing action of said door along said front face during closing.

3. The improvement defined in claim 2 in which said path and said front face are inclined downwardly and inwardly toward said container.

4. The improvement defined in claim 2 in which said door holding and guiding means include ways along the sides of said loading opening defined in part by flanges overlying the outer side portions of said door, said flanges being inclined downwardly and inwardly to incline said door into said closed position.

laterally with said packer as an incident to movement of the container toward the packer, and also having coacting elements for latching the container to said guide when the container reaches said loading position.

7. The improvement defined in claim 6 in which said guide is an elongated toe having a beveled end movable under said container between laterally spaced surfaces thereon, and coacting with said surfaces to cam said container into said loading position.

8. The improvement defined in claim 6 in which said coacting elements include a bolt pivoted on said guide for up and down swinging of one end portion of said bolt, a vertically opening notch in said one end portion, a latch bar on said container aligned with said notch when the container is in said loading position, and means urging said one end portion toward the latched position, said bolt having a beveled end for engaging said latch bar and camming the bolt out of said latched position, to swing back to said latched position after the crossbar becomes aligned with said notch.

9. The improvement defined in claim 8 further including means accessible from beside said packer for swinging said bolt out of said latched position and unlatching the container for movement out of said loading position.

10. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said coupling abutment comprises at least one generally horizontal bar spaced from the outer side of said door adjacent the upper side thereof, said coupler having spaced shoulders movable under and over said bar into said coupling relation and constituting said first and second abutments.

11. The improvement defined in claim 10 in which two horizontal bars are mounted on the outer side of said door, one adjacent each side thereof, and said coupler has two notches opening toward said container and aligned with said bars to receive the latter as the container is moved to said loading position, each of said notches having means associated therewith for latching the aligned bar to said coupler.

12. The improvement defined in claim 10 further including additional means on said coupler for latching said bar securely to said actuator as an incident to the raising motion of said coupler.

13. The improvement defined in claim 12 in which said latching means include a latch bar spaced above said shoulder for movement of said horizontal bar past the latch bar as said container is moved to said loading position, and means responsive to raising of said shoulder to lower said latch bar between said door and said horizontal bar at least to said shoulder, thereby to accomplish said latching.

14. The improvement defined in claim 8 in which said bar is one leg of an inverted, generally U-shaped latch movably mounted on said coupler, said latch having a second leg abutting against a stationary part of said packer, and further including a spring acting between said latch and said coupler to urge said latch downwardly relative to the coupler as the latter begins to raise said horizontal bar, thereby to pull said latching bar past said shoulder.

15. in a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening in one side, and a reciprocating ram movable in said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side forwardly toward said one side to an extended position,

and a refuse container disposed alongside said packer in a loading position and having a loading opening in one end aligned with said outlet opening to receive refuse during the forward strokes of said ram, the improvement comprising;

a guillotine-type door for closing said loading opening;

means on said container normally supporting said door in a closed position covering said loading opening and guiding the door for movement along the plane of said one end to an open position to permit the loading of refuse from said packer;

operating mechanism on said packer including a reciprocating actuator for opening and closing said door;

at least one coupling abutment on the side of said door adjacent said packer;

a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said abutment to receive the latter automatically as an incident to movement of said container into said loading position, said coupler including spaced abutments movable onto opposite sides of said abutment to couple said operating mechanism to said door for positive opening and closing thereof by said mechanism;

and selectively operable means for actuating said operating mechanism to open said door after movement of said container to said loading position, and to force said door closed after loading of said container by said packer.

16. The improvement defined in claim 15 in which said door is movable vertically from said closed position to said open position, and said coupler is formed with a shoulder constituting one of said abutrnents and movable under said coupling abutment during movement of said container to said loading position, said shoulder being movable upwardly to engage said coupling abutment and raise the latter and said door.

17. The improvement defined in claim 16 in which said coupler also has a shoulder constituting the other of said spaced abutrnents and disposed over said coupling abutment to push said door down to said closed position.

18. The improvement defined in claim 16 further including a latch closeable around said abutment automatically in response to upward movement of said coupler, thereby to hold said door positively on said operating mechanism.

19. The improvement defined in claim 15 in which said door is slidably guided along its sides for vertical movement, and said coupling abutment is a generally horizontal bar adjacent the upper end of the door, said coupler having a notch for receiving said bar when said door is closed.

20. The improvement defined in claim 15 further including means on said packer for aligning said container with the packer as an incident to movement of the container endwise toward the packer, and means for latching said container to the packer automatically as the aligned container moves into said loading position said aligning means including a guide projecting away from the packer beneath the level of the bottom wall of said container, and laterally spaced surfaces on the container extending downwardly to lie on opposite sides of said guide, and the guide having a beveled end coacting with said surfaces to align said container laterally with the packer.

21. The improvement defined in claim 20 in which said latching means include a bolt supported for vertical movement between latched and unlatched positions and having a vertically opening notch, a strike supported to move into alignment with said notch as said container is moved into said loading position, means yieldably urging the bolt to a latched position, and coacting surfaces on said bolt and said strike for ca'mming the bolt out of the latched position to permit said strike to become aligned with said notch.

22. The improvement defined in claim 21 further including means accessible from beside said packer for moving the bolt to said unlatching position preparatory to removal of said container.

23. In a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening in one side, and a reciprocating ram movable in said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side forwardly toward said one side to an extended position,

and a refuse container disposed alongside said packer in a loading position and having a loading opening in one end aligned with said outlet opening to receive refuse during the forward strokes of said ram, the improvement comprising:

a vertically movable door for closing said loading openmeans on said container normally supporting said door in a lowered closed position covering said loading opening and guiding the door for movement along the plane of said one end to a raised open position to permit the loading of refuse from said packer; operating mechanism on said packer including a reciprocating actuator for opening and closing said door;

at least one coupling abutment on the side of said door adjacent said packer;

a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said abutment to receive the latter automatically as an incident to movement of said container into said loading position and including a shoulder movable under said abutment during movement of said container to said loading position;

selectively operable means for actuating said operating mechanism to raise said shoulder and open said door after movement of said container to said loading position, and to close said door after loading of said container by said packer;

and a latch closeable around said abutment automatically in response to upward movement of said coupler, thereby to hold said door positively on said operating mechanism.

P0405) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 610, 139 Dated October 5, 1 92 Inventor) Samuel Vincen Bowles It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

EoLuMN 2: line 34, "flatbed" should be -site.

COLUMN 3: line 35, "a" should be -the-.

COLUMN 4: line 12 "rear" should be --free-.

line 42, "if" should be --of--.

COLUMN 5: line 43 -the container ll-- should be added between the words "aligning" and "quickly".

COLUMN 6: line 44 the word -andshould be inserted between the words, "container" and "eventually".

line 71, "on" should be of-.

COLUMN 7: line 4 "operate" should be --cooperate.

line 26, "way" should be -away-.

COLUMN 8: line 49, "8" should be l3-.

COLUMN 9 line 17, the word --spaced-- should be added between the words "said and "abutments" Signed and sealed this "uh (5.1:;- ef' May 1972.

(SEAL) Atte st:

EDWARD PLLTJICTCHER,JH. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Atte sting Officer Comnissi oner of Patents 

1. In a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an upper inlet opening and an outlet opening in one side, and having a ram movable across said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side toward said one side to an extended position: and an enclosed refuse container disposed in a loading position with an upright end of the container disposed adjacent said one side to receive refuse from said packer through said outlet opening as said ram is extended, said container having a loading opening in said one end aligned with said outlet opening, the improvement comprising: a guillotine-type door normally disposed in a lowered position and covering said loading opening; means on said one end of said container normally holding said door against moving outwardly way from the container, and guiding the door for substantially vertical movement along said upright end from said lowered position to a raised, open position spaced above said loading opening; operating mechanism mounted on said packer adjacent said outlet opening and including a vertically reciprocating actuator for raising and lowering said door; at least one coupling abutment on the outer side of said door; a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said coupling abutment to receive the latter in coupling relation as said container is moved into said loading position, said coupler including a first abutment movable under said coupling abutment for raising said door and a second abutment movable over said coupling abutment for closing said door; and selectively operable means for activating said actuator to raise and open said door after movement of said container into said loading position and to lower and force said door closed after loading of said container by said ram, said coupling abutment being movable out of coupling relation with said coupler as said container is moved away from said packer.
 2. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said door holding and guiding means guide said door along an inclined path between said open and closed positions, said ram having a front face parallel to said path and adapted to be positioned outside, and closely adjacent, the path for a slicing action of said door along said front face during closing.
 3. The improvement defined in claim 2 in which said path and said front face are inclined downwardly and inwardly toward said container.
 4. The improvement defined in claim 2 in which said door holding and guiding means include ways along the sides of said loading opening defined in part by flanges overlying the outer side portions of said door, said flanges being inclined downwardly and inwardly to incline said door into said closed position.
 5. The improvement defined in claim 4 further including means hinging the upper side of said door on said upright end in said closed position for inward swinging of the door.
 6. The improvement defined in claim 5 further including a guide on said packer extending away from said one side beneath the level of said outlet and loading opening along the underside of said container, said guide and said container having opposed surfaces thereon for aligning said container laterally with said packer as an incident to movement of the container toward the packer, and also having coacting elements for latching the container to said guide when the container reaches said loading position.
 7. The improvement defined in claim 6 in which said guide is an elongated toe having a beveled end movable under said container between laterally spaced surfaces thereon, and coacting with said surfaces to cam said container into said loading position.
 8. The improvement defined in claim 6 in which said coacting elements include a bolt pivoted on said guide for up and down swinging of one end portion of said bolt, a vertically opening notch in said one end portion, a latch bar on said container aligned with said notch when the container is in said loading position, and means urging said one end portion toward the latched position, said bolt having a beveled end for engaging said latch bar and camming the bolt out of said latched position, to swing back to said latched position after the crossbar becomes aligned with said notch.
 9. The improvement defined in claim 8 further including means accessible from beside said packer for swinging said bolt out of said latched position and unlatching the container for movement out of said loading position.
 10. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said coupling abutment comprises at least one generally horizontal bar spaced from the outer side of said door adjacent the upper side thereof, said coupler having spaced shoulders movable under and over said bar into said coupling relation and constituting said first and second abutments.
 11. The improvement defined in claim 10 in which two horizontal bars are mounted on the outer side of said door, one adjacent each side thereof, and said coupler has two notches oPening toward said container and aligned with said bars to receive the latter as the container is moved to said loading position, each of said notches having means associated therewith for latching the aligned bar to said coupler.
 12. The improvement defined in claim 10 further including additional means on said coupler for latching said bar securely to said actuator as an incident to the raising motion of said coupler.
 13. The improvement defined in claim 12 in which said latching means include a latch bar spaced above said shoulder for movement of said horizontal bar past the latch bar as said container is moved to said loading position, and means responsive to raising of said shoulder to lower said latch bar between said door and said horizontal bar at least to said shoulder, thereby to accomplish said latching.
 14. The improvement defined in claim 8 in which said bar is one leg of an inverted, generally U-shaped latch movably mounted on said coupler, said latch having a second leg abutting against a stationary part of said packer, and further including a spring acting between said latch and said coupler to urge said latch downwardly relative to the coupler as the latter begins to raise said horizontal bar, thereby to pull said latching bar past said shoulder.
 15. In a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening in one side, and a reciprocating ram movable in said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side forwardly toward said one side to an extended position, and a refuse container disposed alongside said packer in a loading position and having a loading opening in one end aligned with said outlet opening to receive refuse during the forward strokes of said ram, the improvement comprising; a guillotine-type door for closing said loading opening; means on said container normally supporting said door in a closed position covering said loading opening and guiding the door for movement along the plane of said one end to an open position to permit the loading of refuse from said packer; operating mechanism on said packer including a reciprocating actuator for opening and closing said door; at least one coupling abutment on the side of said door adjacent said packer; a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said abutment to receive the latter automatically as an incident to movement of said container into said loading position, said coupler including spaced abutments movable onto opposite sides of said abutment to couple said operating mechanism to said door for positive opening and closing thereof by said mechanism; and selectively operable means for actuating said operating mechanism to open said door after movement of said container to said loading position, and to force said door closed after loading of said container by said packer.
 16. The improvement defined in claim 15 in which said door is movable vertically from said closed position to said open position, and said coupler is formed with a shoulder constituting one of said abutments and movable under said coupling abutment during movement of said container to said loading position, said shoulder being movable upwardly to engage said coupling abutment and raise the latter and said door.
 17. The improvement defined in claim 16 in which said coupler also has a shoulder constituting the other of said spaced abutments and disposed over said coupling abutment to push said door down to said closed position.
 18. The improvement defined in claim 16 further including a latch closeable around said abutment automatically in response to upward movement of said coupler, thereby to hold said door positively on said operating mechanism.
 19. The improvement defined in claim 15 in which said door is slidably guided along its sides for vertical movement, and said coupling abutment is a generally horizontal bar adjacent the upper end of the door, said coupler having A notch for receiving said bar when said door is closed.
 20. The improvement defined in claim 15 further including means on said packer for aligning said container with the packer as an incident to movement of the container endwise toward the packer, and means for latching said container to the packer automatically as the aligned container moves into said loading position said aligning means including a guide projecting away from the packer beneath the level of the bottom wall of said container, and laterally spaced surfaces on the container extending downwardly to lie on opposite sides of said guide, and the guide having a beveled end coacting with said surfaces to align said container laterally with the packer.
 21. The improvement defined in claim 20 in which said latching means include a bolt supported for vertical movement between latched and unlatched positions and having a vertically opening notch, a strike supported to move into alignment with said notch as said container is moved into said loading position, means yieldably urging the bolt to a latched position, and coacting surfaces on said bolt and said strike for camming the bolt out of the latched position to permit said strike to become aligned with said notch.
 22. The improvement defined in claim 21 further including means accessible from beside said packer for moving the bolt to said unlatching position preparatory to removal of said container.
 23. In a refuse-packing system including a packer having a packing chamber formed with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening in one side, and a reciprocating ram movable in said chamber from a retracted position spaced from said one side forwardly toward said one side to an extended position, and a refuse container disposed alongside said packer in a loading position and having a loading opening in one end aligned with said outlet opening to receive refuse during the forward strokes of said ram, the improvement comprising: a vertically movable door for closing said loading opening; means on said container normally supporting said door in a lowered closed position covering said loading opening and guiding the door for movement along the plane of said one end to a raised open position to permit the loading of refuse from said packer; operating mechanism on said packer including a reciprocating actuator for opening and closing said door; at least one coupling abutment on the side of said door adjacent said packer; a coupler on said operating mechanism aligned with said abutment to receive the latter automatically as an incident to movement of said container into said loading position and including a shoulder movable under said abutment during movement of said container to said loading position; selectively operable means for actuating said operating mechanism to raise said shoulder and open said door after movement of said container to said loading position, and to close said door after loading of said container by said packer; and a latch closeable around said abutment automatically in response to upward movement of said coupler, thereby to hold said door positively on said operating mechanism. 